The Story of the Yacht Elver 1930 - Part Three

Travels of the Yacht 'Elver' on the Essex and Suffolk coast

One of a series of films recording the travels of the schooner Elver, her owner V.B. Harrison, crew and guests. Scenes are shot from the Elver including adjustment of sails, sea, waves, buoys, coastline and passing boats, sometimes close enough to see crew in detail. Scenes include: Water sports presumably at West Mersea, with views of the crowds and events including dinghy races, sculling race, ladies swimming race, shovel race with boats paddled along; “pull baker pull devil” flour and soot battle between dinghy crews and slippery pole; scenes of children John and Susan on board, Clacton on Sea from the yacht, Laguna Belle paddle steamer and a Thames sailing barge filmed in Dufaycolor (so earliest date 1934); scenes of the owner, crew and guests arriving and departing by dinghy and parties on board including a woman swigging from a bottle; views of the Elver filmed from the dinghy; and scenes of the shore at Southwold and Lowestoft filmed from the yacht.

Keywords

Boats; Sailing; Yacht racing; Sea; Games; Water sports

Intertitles

Spelling as it appears on the intertitles Yacht “Elver”. 1930 Part Three The Water Sports Ladies dinghey [dinghy] race Sculling race Mixed doubles Ladies swimming race Shovel race Pull baker pull devil John and Susan on board Clacton on Sea Laguna Belle Susan really steered a good course unaided The miracle of the season. The Commodore does a spot of work Comdr. Hughes and Mrs Hughes, Phil and the Commodore Vernon and Mrs Dockray coming aboard Bullo bringing the next load The whole gang aboard Aboard the Vice Commodore’s Pierette Returning at sunset “Elver” in full sail. September 1936 Sammy and Ronald also have a look Office party on Elver Mr. Bushell The bow ware [bow wave] Southwold Lowesoft End of Part Three

Other Places

Clacton on Sea Southwold Lowestoft

Background Information

Elver - “V.B. Harrison’s wishbone-rigged schooner Elver was built at Lymington in 1923 and was a familiar sight in the Blackwater, with moorings at West Mersea until the 1940s.” John Leather, The Salty Shore, Seafarer Books 2003. A published photograph of the yacht refers to Skipper Ron Pullen. Pull baker pull devil – a flour and soot battle in Essex water sports – the phrase indicates a battle for possession in which each party is as bad as the other.